The present invention relates to an apparatus for sterilizing and deodorizing rooms, particularly those which are linked with cooling and refrigerating plants. Such apparatus has an insulator and two facing electrodes mounted on the latter. A high voltage is applied to the electrodes for the formation of a corona discharge.
Numerous different constructions of room sterilizing apparatus are known. With widely varying constructions, such devices particularly produce ozone (O.sub.3), which has an indirect, sterilizing action. However, ozone is one of the most powerful oxidizing agents, which attacks the mucosa of the human organism, particularly the respiratory tracks and leads to unpleasant irritations.
For producing atmospheric ionization, use is made of discharge tubes in which an electrode is applied to an insulator, usually a glass tube. The electrode is applied to both the inner and the outer wall. High voltage is applied to these two facing electrodes, which leads to discharge coronas with a corresponding electron emission.
A process and an apparatus have been known for producing corona discharges in air, in which use is made of an insulator tube, in whose interior close to the inner wall is provided a first tubular electrode. A second tubular electrode is placed on the outer wall of the insulator tube and is formed from a wire gauze or lattice and on which, following the application of a high voltage, coronas occur, which leads to an atmosphere ionization. In the case of this known apparatus, atmospheric ionization takes place in the form of oxygen clusters, whose compatibility is greater than that of ozone (O.sub.3).
However, as the insulator tubes and the transformer associated therewith, together with its control system, take up a relatively large volume, such apparatuses cannot be used in smaller rooms, such as for refrigerators. They can also not be used because there is a prescribed protection against electric shock hazard in view of the high voltage which is necessary for operation of such devices. Therefore the known apparatus is arranged in a casing and is used for disinfecting the air, deodorizing and conditioning spent air in larger rooms.